Fabio Capello's next stop could be managing Anzhi Makhachkala in Dagestan

Fabio Capello "regrets" having to step down as England manager, amid
speculation that his next job could be to take charge of a Dagestan team
owned by a Russian billionaire.

Next stop? Italian bookies believe next job could be with Anzhi Makhachkala, owned by billionaire Suleiman KerimovPhoto: GETTY IMAGES

By Nick Squires in Rome

8:53AM GMT 10 Feb 2012

As the former manager left London yesterday, believed to be bound for a house he owns near Lugano, in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, football insiders said his departure from England was just the latest in a long line of bitter professional splits.

"It’s obvious that there is regret," Italo Galbiati, Capello’s right-hand man during his tenure at AC Milan, Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid, told an Italian radio station.

"I believe he did well [at England] and the FA did not behave well towards him. It should have been Fabio to decide who is captain, but the FA went over his head.

"The Terry case was just a pretext, the FA tagged along with the accusations made by the tabloids [about England’s lacklustre showing at the World Cup in South Africa].

"But Fabio has left a united team, and he promoted some interesting young players. If England builds on his work it could do great things."

Alberto Zaccheroni, a colleague and former coach, said: "He brought dignity and order where it was lacking before. He restored the image of English football, even though the World Cup did not go well."

Italian bookies thought Capello’s likely next move would be to Anzhi Makhachkala, a club in Dagestan, a Russian republic in the Caucasus which is plagued by bomb attacks and shootings.

The team’s billionaire owner, Suleiman Kerimov had made a number of high-profile purchases include the former Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos, former Chelsea midfielder Yuri Zhirkov, and Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o.

The next most likely options, according to the Italian press, were Inter, Roma, Milan or Juventus. Capello’s falling-out with the FA was "yet another bitter farewell", according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The newspaper said Capello’s departures from Juventus, Milan, Real Madrid and Roma had been similarly rocky. "His goodbyes are never very fond," the paper said. "Capello can never make a break without friction."